


To take off the mask

by ShallWeSingInPopSense



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: #TRIGGER potentially for family problems, Adrien Agreste Needs a Hug, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Being Supportive, Betrayal, Drabble, Marichat, Post-Reveal Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, cathartic angst, post-hawkmoth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-15
Updated: 2018-03-15
Packaged: 2019-03-31 13:51:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13976478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShallWeSingInPopSense/pseuds/ShallWeSingInPopSense
Summary: Post-reveal post-hawkmoth angst.“Who am I Marinette? Am I Chat Noir or Adrien Agrest?"Discovering that your father is the supervillian that has been terrorising Paris for all this time must be a pretty hard blow to anyone, but for it to be the father of the very superhero who has been fighting him? That's going to hurt.





	To take off the mask

The superhero duo stood on a balcony at dusk. The aspiring designer twisting her charm bracelet in her hands, and the leather-clad cat semi-slumped, shoulders tense, against the railing.  
It was Marinette who broke the silence, her voice low as she spoke.  
“Have you dropped your transformation since The Confrontation?” she asked softly.  
The cat hero shook his head slowly, staring down into the street opposite the bakery.  
"Chat Noir is a hero." he muttered "Adrien Agrest is...less so" his breath caught in his throat "It wasn't meant to be him Ladybug. Not my father."  
Slowly, Marinette leaned forwards to take his clawed hand.  
“I will always love you, no matter the deeds of your father, you are still the man I love”  
He flinched away from her tail twitching in frustration, as his elongated nails tore at the blond hair around his cat ears.  
“Who am I Marinette? Am I Chat Noir or Adrien Agrest?” he growled out, his angry retort punching though the quiet night.  
“Chaton please, calm down” Marinette stood on tiptoes to cup his cheek “You are both. Always. My sweet and caring Adrien and my bold and fearless Chat” her thumbs gently swiped his cheeks "You are both."  
“Then tell me my lady," Chat’s voice dropped to a whisper as he grabbed her wrists, backing away from her touch "Who is my father? Is he Gabriel Agrest, or is he Hawkmoth?"  
The leather clad boy spun on his heel, readying his staff, wanting to get away, go anywhere, just so long as she didn't see him cry. Not as Chat. He didn't deserve her pity.  
Just as he was about to leap he felt a tug on his tail.  
“He is both too Adrien” Marinette said softly from behind him "He is both your father and Hawkmoth. And you can love him for being your father and for caring for you all these years. That doesn't make you a bad person. You are allowed to still love him." Marinette let go of his tail, but made no move to embrace him or intrude upon his space "But he was also Hawkmoth: a man who did terrible things in his grief. And you can hate him for that. And you don't have to blame yourself for not noticing who he was, because without knowing his reasons why, Hawkmoth could be thought of as evil. But deep down I guess Hawkmoth is a mask to deal with pain too."  
The tears were falling freely down his face now, riming his mask with salt.  
"In the end, only you can make your peace with this. You are not obligated to reject him, but neither are you obligated to forgive him." She gave a half smile.  
Chat swallowed thickly, his breath catching.  
"Just know that as Chat or as Adrien I will always be here to support you. And I don't care if it takes months or years, I will play through this conversation as many times as it takes to get through your thick feline skull that it’s going to be ok. You are going to be ok Adrien"  
Only then did she take a step towards him "Do you want a hug now?" She asked tentatively.  
To melt into her arms, to let her soothe away his sins, to allow him to forgive himself. It was so tempting. He felt as if a great dam inside him was swelling up, and if she touched him he would have to feel, have to face what it is to be Adrien Agrest again. A hug would break the super hero into a boy mouring the deeds of his father.  
“I would very much like a hug Marinette.”

**Author's Note:**

> I really look forward to seeing how the show is going to deal with Adrien's discovery that his father is Hawkmoth!  
> This my first fic, so please let me know if you spot any mistakes or anything! (Also comments literally make my day. Week. Century.)  
> And you can follow me on tumblr at miraculousstuffwotifound
> 
> <3


End file.
